Well, I did it again. I way outpunched my weight class and I had three wonderful guests on Sin Boldly to look at the critical question of Church Growth in the Church today. I was honored to be joined by a literal titan of church growth, Dr. Gary McIntosh of the Talbot School of Theology, Karl Vaters, author of "The Grasshopper Myth", and Houston's own Eugene Wilson. All three have looked at the issues of church growth generally, the Church Growth Movement specifically, and the benefit and role of small churches in the Kingdom of God for many years. I had hoped to go longer given the collected wisdom, but I believe a sequel is in the works already and perhaps even a conference...we'll see. Many thanks again to Gary, Karl and Eugene.
Why the name “Sin Boldly”? Martin Luther wrote to his friend Philip Melanchthon in 1521: “If you are a preacher of mercy, do not preach an imaginary but the true mercy. If the mercy is true, you must therefore bear the true, not an imaginary sin. God does not save those who are only imaginary sinners. Be a sinner, and let your sins be strong [sin boldly], but let your trust in Christ be stronger, and rejoice in Christ who is the victor over sin, death, and the world.” To sin boldly, therefore, is not to seek unholy living, but to follow the course we believe the Bible demands even if the world is against us. And if and when we sin, trust in an even greater savior.
First Lutheran also publishes a daily podcast called The Scarlet Thread (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-scarlet-thread/id1110938468?mt=2). This podcast is a reading of the appointed texts for the Two-Year Daily Lectionary. After two years, listeners will have heard most of the Old Testament once and most of the New Testament twice. If you are liturgically-minded and want a little more Bible in your life, this is a great podcast for you.
